5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Kalinn Williams

Kalinn Williams will be serving as the co-main event on this weekend’s card. While the card will be headlined by former Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos and Paul Felder, Williams will face Abdul Razak Alhassan.

Both fighters have 10 wins in their career, with Razzak having lost 2 fights to Williams’ 1. The fight will be in the Welterweight division.

Williams made his UFC debut on short notice at UFC 247. However, time was no issue for Williams, who absolutely destroyed his opponent Alex Morono in 24 seconds. This is his return to the Octagon, and he is fighting high up the card.

But who is Kalinn Williams? These are five things you didn’t know about him.

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Kalinn Williams UFC Debut

Williams had an explosive UFC debut earlier this year. After Dhiego Lima dropped out against Alex Morono, Kalinn decided that the opportunity was too good to let go of. ‘Khaos’ showed why he is called that inside the cage that night, pulling off a spectacular win over UFC veteran Morono.

Williams landed a barrage of strikes within the 27 seconds the fight went for, breaking the notoriously hard-nosed Morono down. While Alex did respond to Kalinn’s barrage of strikes, none of it was enough.

Williams laid the power shots in and walked away with a dominant first effort inside the octagon.

Where does he get his nickname from?

While we know him as ‘Khaos’ Williams, that isn’t the only nickname for Kalinn. The 10-1 fighter is still finding his feet in the world of MMA, barely boasting of 3 years of experience.

His nicknames have really stuck with him, and may one day be how people refer to him exclusively.

Williams was given his Khaos nickname at the age of 13, growing up in a rough neighborhood and constantly ‘creating chaos’.

However, he is also known as ‘The Oxfighter’. That nickname came out of his early ‘sparring’ partners, telling him that he is strong like an ox. He added the fighter and here we are today.

Kalinn Williams pre-UFC career

Unless you’re CM Punk, a fighter doesn’t get to debut under the bright lights of the UFC. There are thousands of fighters grinding the regional and independent MMA circuits to eventually get a spot on any UFC card.

Williams decided to fast-track that process by fighting whoever was put in front of him.

Despite debuting in April 2017, Khaos already has 11 MMA fights under his belt. This is despite not being booked by the UFC since February 2020.

In that time, Williams fought for promotions like King of the Cage, Total Warrior Combat, Knockout Promotions, and World Xtreme Cagefighting.

Khaos would become the Welterweight champion in WXC before moving to the UFC. His only pro loss came at KOP 60 against Dan Yates.

Graduating from a jail program

“I love my freedom and I love being out here doing what I love to do. I messed up when I was a youngin, I’m still young right now. But I’m old enough to know right from wrong.”

Williams is actually a convicted criminal who graduated high school in jail. While it isn’t clear what he did to end up in that situation, it is clear that Williams had a rough upbringing.

However, seeing him succeed in MMA after having experiences like this is heartwarming. The sport seemingly saved him from a completely different life, and the fans are here to support him going forward.

‘I’m here by my work’

“Extraordinary fighter. Y’all gonna see an extraordinary fighter. I’m here, not by chance but by my work, my mentality, and simply you know, just because. Ey, no matter who you put in front of me, I will find a way to win.”

Kalinn confidently announced his arrival before his UFC 247 debut by telling the media that he is an extraordinary fighter. However, the quote that many missed is the one he said right after that. He isn’t here by chance, but by his work.

Considering his past and how emphatically he ended up winning in that first fight, it is obvious that Kalinn Williams is not an average fighter.

In his words, he is extraordinary. In our words, we are surely rooting for him to ascend to the top level of the sport.